


It's a Classic, Except for the Lying Part

by CheekyBrunette



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-07
Updated: 2013-07-07
Packaged: 2017-12-18 01:05:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/873942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheekyBrunette/pseuds/CheekyBrunette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They start off as lab partners, then they’re hanging out at each other’s houses. Next they’re spending the night, and now they’re the cutest couple in school. Liam the quarterback and Danielle the cheerleader. Except Liam’s got his eye on someone else, and he’s not a she.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's a Classic, Except for the Lying Part

Liam made the wrong decision on the first day of his senior year.

His morning had started out rather typically. His car wouldn't start, like usual, and there was traffic, like usual, so he was late to class, like usual. Fortunately, his Chemistry teacher decided to be lenient considering it _was_ only the first day of school and merely gestured for him to pick his seat for the year as he waltzed into class.

There were two spots open, and they were each a rather intimidating choice. The first was next to Danielle Peazer up in the front, her dark curls dripping all over the desk and surprisingly a cheerleading uniform already in place despite there not being a football game until Friday. She had one of her cute, white, little cheer shoes up on the edge of the table as she retied the laces, blowing a bubble with what Liam could identify as watermelon-flavoured gum despite being on the opposite side of the room just by the smell.

The other seat was next to Louis Tomlinson in the back. It was the first day of school, but Louis still managed to splay out rumpled papers across the entire table. He wasn't making a move to sort any of them, instead laughing at something the blonde kid on the opposite side of the aisle was saying to him.

Maybe if Liam were a little less popular, he would have instantly gone for the seat next to Louis. It's not like the other boy was a _complete_ loser or anything, but Danielle _was_ head cheerleader after all. Except, Liam was the new quarterback for the football team, so his spot almost _naturally_ was next to her.

Needless to say, Liam took his seat next to Danielle in the front row, and she greeted him with a smile, a shoulder bump, and a pop of her gum before focusing on the teacher as she explained the course syllabus, and Liam knew.

He had made the wrong decision.

Danielle lifted her backpack to the other side of her chair to make room, but other than that, she didn't really acknowledge him for the rest of class. Liam sat down and drummed his fingers on the desk, catching the eye of the kid on his other side. _Zayn_ , Liam thinks, but he only really knows him from seeing him in the smokers' pit at football games. He threw him a nod, but Zayn glared only back at him like he was crazy. It all only serves to make Liam feel all the more like he's made the wrong choice by sitting here.

But it's weird. Because here is where he belongs. Liam belongs with the cool kids, and he's supposed to hang out with resident bad asses like Zayn Malik and pretty, popular girls like Danielle Peazer.

Except Liam Payne likes Disney movies, and he still uses his old power ranger sheets sometimes, and he wears Captain America and Green Lantern t-shirts to school everyday. So maybe he doesn't belong here.

It's the first day of his senior year, and Liam is already making decisions that are going to screw him over later in life. The only difference between him and the rest of his class is that his choices have more to do with the friends he has than where he's going to college or what he's going to do for the rest of his life.

It turns out to be more monumental than he would have thought.

* * *

Liam squints at the board, trying to understand the notes he's supposed to be copying, but it's a bit hopeless. Liam isn't very good at maths. He hadn't thought chemistry would be so much _math_.

He's halfway through writing it all down, when Danielle nudges his arm. He looks up to meet her eyes, but she merely nods down at her notebook. It takes Liam a second and Danielle a tap of her pencil eraser to spot the note she had written to him in the margin.

_Is this boring you as much as it's boring me?_

Liam looked up and nodded quickly, just wanting to agree because it was Danielle, and she was, well… _Danielle_ , and making a good impression on her was important. Liam had never gotten the chance really to talk to her last year, and now everyone seemed to be expecting something from them. He just didn't want to be a disappointment is all.

Danielle pressed her lips together for a second and scrawled something under what she had just written him, her handwriting loopy and curly like a princess's. Liam's own handwriting look like it pained him.

_You wanna play tic tac toe?_

Dani was already drawing out the board, and Liam etched something down on the edge of his own notes.

_You wanna be x's or o's?_

Danielle answered by filling in an X in the top right corner. They play for the rest of class, Liam jotting down things from the board between turns, and he's about midway through when he takes notice of the snickers coming from the back of the room. And Liam is easily distracted and curious to see whose being so loud, so he turns after putting an 'o' in the middle space on the board to block Danielle's diagonal.

It's Louis and that blonde kid again. It _always_ seems to be Louis and that blonde kid. (Liam knew almost everyone's name in his class, but he was fairly positive that the little guy Louis was with was new. And yes, he was definitely little for the record. Absolutely tiny.) Lou was saying something to make the other boy laugh, and Liam can't help but notice Louis's bright blue eyes and what seemed to be a teasing grin.

Liam turned back to his work, cheeks flushed after staring, but he wasn't quite sure why. When he turned back to look at Louis again, he noticed Zayn doing much the same thing in the seat next to him, but his eyes seemed to be focused elsewhere and the look in his eye is much different than the look Liam assumed to be in his own.

Danielle tapped his shoulder, showing that she's won the game and has started another, and Liam put his 'o' in the centre like always.

* * *

"Ah, Liam, what did you get for the eighth stoichiometry problem?" Danielle asked, leaning over so their arms brush and the smell of her shampoo is too strong to ignore. Liam blushed as she finds him three sections of problems behind and struggling on the first question.

"I haven't quite gotten there yet," he answered, and Dani looked up at him, blowing a bubble and letting it pop before saying anything. Really, it only made Liam feel that much more humiliated and flush a little bit more.

"I can see that. Are you having trouble?" she questioned, and Liam liked watching her talk with her red lipstick on. It made all of this a little more embarrassing because she was smart _and_ beautiful and also _head cheerleader,_ while Liam was _quarterback_ , so it was like they're supposed to get together, and she was never going to want him and it was never going to happen, all because Liam is an idiot.

When he doesn't say anything, Danielle cracked her gum and laced their fingers together.

"You know, I could help you. I'm pretty good at this stuff if maybe… Like… I don't know, if maybe…" she pulled her hand away and started fiddling with her hair, pulling her curls through her fingers and combing it back off her face. "Maybe you could come over sometime. And we could work on it. I don't know."

She blushed, and Liam mirrored her.

"Oh, well… yeah. Maybe… Maybe, that sounds really great actually. Yeah. Okay, maybe we could do that. I really… I really suck at Chemistry, it's just so hard…" he trailed off, worrying he was making himself look dumber than he was or just too dumb in general, but Danielle seemed more relieved that he took up her invitation than anything else.

"It's only hard until you get it, if that makes sense. Like… Like, once you have your 'aha moment', it's smooth sailing, it's just hard getting there," she explained, fiddling with the hem of her very tight cheer skirt, and Liam bit his lip.

"I understand. Um… thank you. For offering to help me, that is. That's really great of you," he said appreciatively, and she looked at him a bit sideways.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Liam said with a nod, and with that the bell rang and they both got up from their seats. Except Liam could feel Danielle's excited smile on the back of his neck as he packed up his bag, and maybe he would just rather stay in Chemistry with Dani for the rest of his life.

* * *

"Hey, Liam, wait up!" a familiar voice shouted over the usual hallway noise, and Liam spun to spot Harry jogging after him, head high above everyone else's. The other boy caught up and fell into step with him.

"Rumour has it you're planning on banging Dani behind the bleachers at the end of Friday's game," Harry informed him, swinging his backpack up a little more on his shoulders, and the look on Liam's face was enough to get Harry laughing. "I said it was a rumour, dude, never said anyone believes it. I think everyone's just a little anxious for you two to, you know, _get together_ ," he explained, and Liam sucked in a deep breath.

"Yeah. I don't know… she invited me over to study this morning… But she didn't say a time or anything, so I'm not quite sure what that means," he said, scratching the back of his neck. Harry grabbed his shoulder.

"Dude, that means she's into you," he said, stopping in the hallway while Liam kept walking.

"I mean, yeah… I guess," he replied with a shrug, not really sure how invested Danielle was and not wanting to say anything too soon. Harry flailed behind him and sprinted to catch up. This time he grabbed him by both arms, staring him down.

"No guessing. She totally digs you. You're golden, man, it's gonna happen," Harry exclaimed, and for some reason, that doesn't excite Liam as much as it should. Yeah, Danielle was great, and she had really awesome legs -or at least that's what all the guys on the team said- and she had gorgeous brown eyes, but Liam was more of a bum guy than a leg guy, and he preferred blue eyes over brown… Maybe he was just a little shallow…

"What do you know about Zayn Malik?" Liam asked, brushing Harry off and switching topics of conversation. Harry frowned while the hallways emptied out.

"I don't really know anything about him. He's kinda a mystery, you know? I don't think he talks very much. Plus, he always sits on the opposite side of the table as all his friends at lunch and shit; you ever notice that? Guess he's not really tight with them. Like a loner or whatever. Why do you ask?"

Liam frowned. He wasn't really sure. "I don't know, I guess… he just sits next to me in chem or whatever, and I was just wondering, I suppose. He's a little weird, I guess," he explained, but he doesn't say it the way he means to. Zayn isn't weird; Liam just couldn't seem to figure him out is all. He was always turned in his seat towards the back of the room, and Liam wanted to know why. He wanted to know why he himself was always turned to the back of the room, too.

Harry looked at him long and hard for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing, punching Liam in the shoulder. "Maybe the reason you and Dani aren't together yet is because you're too focused on other boys and not focused enough on her," Harry joked, and for some reason that sends a horribly uncomfortable feeling to the pit of Liam's stomach.

"Yeah, maybe… Hey, while I have you, what do you know about that kid Louis Tomlinson?" Liam asked, biting his lower lip, all of a sudden incredibly nervous. Harry took a moment to think (Harry knew more than Liam about these things but not by much). Liam tapped his foot a bit impatiently; the halls were nearly completely cleared out.

"He's really funny, but he doesn't seem to have very many friends. I don't really remember why. Something's weird about him, I guess… I do see him around with that new kid from Ireland a lot… shit, what's his name…? Niall? Yeah, Niall Horan."

" _That's_ who he is!" Liam exclaimed, stomping his foot and recalling the little blond at the back of his chemistry class. Maybe now he wouldn't have to spin in his seat so much. Maybe now the back of the room wouldn't be such a big deal.

"Yeah. Okay, I'm gonna be late to class, and Mrs Ludin is sure to give me shit for it, so I gotta run," Harry said, spinning on his heel with a wave, and Liam really needed to get to his class too.

"Thanks, man!" he called back, hurrying to his next class with one thought unfortunately stuck in his mind.

_What made Louis Tomlinson so weird?_

* * *

Liam was in his English classroom three days later when his phone vibrates in his back pocket. A quick look to the teacher proved it safe to slip it out, and when he did, he found a text from an unknown number.

_Hey! It's Dani xx Do you maybe wanna come over tonight? (Harry gave me your number. He says hi!)_

Liam wasn't quite sure how to respond, and three seconds later a text from Harry buzzed into his phone.

_Did she tell you I said hi? hiiiii 3 !1!_

Liam stuffed his phone back into his pocket, trying to come up with the right way to answer Danielle because, ah, she was just so pretty, and there was just so much pressure on him to date her, and he wanted to say yes, but maybe being free on a Thursday night would make him look lame… Maybe he should pretend to have a social life outside of football…

He was still thinking about it when a very distressed Louis barged into his classroom during silent reading time.

"Ah, shit, did I leave my phone in here? I think I lost it," Louis asked, obviously panicked with his hair sticking up everywhere and his eyes wide. Liam let himself think for a second that he looked rather cute, but he didn't meditate on it. Mrs Kearny, Liam's English teacher, frowned at him.

"First of all, Louis, students are not permitted to have phones in school. Second, watch your tongue. There's not to be any swearing in my classroom; this is a place of learning," she explained, but Louis wasn't listening at all, instead diving down the aisle to _right between Liam's feet._

"Found it!" he exclaimed, looking up at Liam from his spot kneeling beneath his desk, and Liam felt all out of sorts with him down there and looking up at him, the other boy obviously a bit breathless and his hair all over the place. Something was… was _exciting_ about this picture, but Liam wasn't quite sure what. He just needed Louis to move away.

Fortunately, Mrs Kearny was there in a second to pull him up by his collar.

"I'll take that," she said, snatching away his phone and glaring at him. "You can come get it at the end of the day providing you stop disrupting my class," she promised, and Louis put his hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright, I'm goin', I'm goin'. But would you mind texting Niall back for me? He's gonna wonder where I am-"

"Out!" Mrs. Kearny yelled, and Louis raised his hands a little higher.

"Right, right, sorry, sorry, I'm leaving," he said, ducking out of the classroom, and Liam shoved his face back into _Jane Eyre_ , trying to pretend that all of that hadn't been to much for him and that Louis didn't somehow mean something to him. He eventually texted Danielle back, but for some reason, he almost wished he hadn't. Maybe all of this was just a little too much for him.

_I'd love to come over :D Tell Harry I say hi back!_

He texted Harry three seconds later.

_I said hi back! Did she tell you I said hi back?! hi baaaaaack! :****_

* * *

Liam was leaving the building later that day to head over to Danielle's, and admittedly his head was a little up in the clouds thinking about her and everything but mostly her, which was why he wasn't aware enough to keep from slamming into some poor kid and sending him and his books to the ground.

It was hard being a football player and not really knowing your own strength.

"Oh, shoot, I'm so sorry, are you dead? Are you dying? Is it my fault? You're papers are everywhere, I am so, so, so sorry," he apologised on repeat, thinking he had just creamed a tiny underclassman, but when the kid looked up, he realised it was Niall, Louis's friend.

"Ah, it's fine, mate, no broken bones. I didn't hurt _you_ did I?" he asked, and shit, this kid certainly is Irish. Liam shook his head, a bit distressed as he bent down to help Niall pick up all of his things.

"You hurt me? _You're_ the one who went flying to the ground! I am so sorry, I feel like I need to buy you an ice cream or something to make up for this. Do you want money? Will you take money?" he asked, stressed. For some reason, he wanted to make a good impression on Niall. He was Louis's friend and that just… seemed important.

Niall just laughed.

"I think I'll pull through without all that… but you seem like a pretty nice guy. It's Liam right?" he asked, and Liam nodded. "Alright. Maybe I'll see you around, Liam," Niall said, finishing collecting all of his books and walking off.

Liam ran his hands over his head, distressed, and spotted Dani on the far side of the parking lot, walking towards him. He quick whipped around and tried to fix his hair just in case it had gotten a bit messed up. He was straightening his shirt when Danielle reached him.

"Hey!" she greeted, a big, perfect smile on her face, and Liam tried to reflect it with one of his own.

"Hi," he answered, holding her hand because it seemed like the right thing to do and leading her towards his car. She fiddled with her hair.

"You ready to study?" she asked, and Liam nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks for offering to help me out," he said, words weirdly thick as his eyes flickered across the lot to see Louis skateboarding home with Niall hot on his heels.

"No problem!" Danielle answered, not seeming to notice, and everything felt weird and off balance.

He just hoped this went well.

* * *

Liam going over to Dani's after school on days he didn't have practice quickly becomes a regular thing. At first, it had been ridiculously stressful on Liam (she was _so_ pretty, and _so_ beautiful, and so, and so, and so), but it wasn't long before being with her just kinda got easy.

She was just really nice. Like… just really nice and really friendly, and whenever she walked by, she let her fingers trail over his shoulders, and it felt really nice and really caring, and Danielle was _really_ great. Really.

Most of the time, they just sat around studying chemistry, which was good because Liam was _terrible_ at the subject. Sometimes, though, they watched movies. And sometimes Danielle let him pick. And sometimes, when he was feeling brave, he asked to watch Toy Story, and she didn't make fun of him when he laughed at the same jokes he'd been hearing since he was six.

Also, sometimes they held hands, and sometimes Danielle put her legs over his lap, and sometimes they snuggled a bit, and once Dani kissed his cheek.

Liam had been slow to wipe off her red lipstick, but the second he left her place, he only felt nervous about it all.

In short, Liam wasn't quite sure what was happening with him and Danielle, but _Harry_ seemed to be.

"Wait, wait, wait. You've been going over to her house for _weeks_ now, and you still haven't kissed her?" Harry asked, eyes opened wide incredulously, and Liam shrugged swirling his spaghetti in his tray absentmindedly and eyes focused blindly on the other side of the cafeteria.

Harry waved his hand in front of his face.

"Dude… Dude! Quit spacing out like that, this is serious. What's so interesting about Louis Tomlinson anyway?" Harry asked, and Liam was quick to shake himself out of his daze, and -ouch- yeah, he had been staring at Louis. Why was he always staring at Louis?

"Ah, sorry. Yeah, no, I haven't kissed her. I don't know. I don't even know if she likes me, really; I'm not… I'm not any good at this. I'm too awkward," he explained, and Harry shook his head, obviously worked up.

"Li, she _obviously likes you_. Quick, look over at her," Harry instructed, and Liam complied only to catch Danielle's eye over the heads of the other cheerleaders sitting at her table. She blushed and waved at him with a cute curl of her fingers before turning on him and excitedly talking to her friends. "See? She stares at you, like, all the time. And now you've gone and looked at her, and all her friends are having aneurisms. She _likes you_. She so totally likes you."

Liam blushed and stabbed at his tray. "She could have been staring at anyone…" he said, embarrassed for some reason, and Harry just arched an eyebrow at him.

"Do you not like her or something?" he asked, and Liam flushed a little deeper.

"No! No, I mean… I think I like her…"

"Well is she annoying or something?" Harry questioned, taking a sip of his chocolate milk, and Liam shook his head. "No? She doesn't laugh really weird, or burp too often, or blow snot bubbles?"

Liam laughed. "Of course not! No, she's just… she's just… I don't know. I like her." Harry eyed him sceptically. "I _like_ her. She's really cool. She watches Toy Story with me. I don't know. She's great. Anyone would like her, everyone _should_ like her," he said almost defensively, and Harry frowned.

"Then why haven't you kissed her?" Harry asked, and Liam's eyes -God knows why- flickered over to Louis Tomlinson across the room again.

"I don't… I don't really know…" he stammered, but he does. He just… he can't really place what's getting in his way yet.

* * *

It's after Harry calls him out during lunch that he realises just _how much time_ he spends looking at Louis Tomlinson. Because really? It's like a constant thing. Especially in chemistry.

Gah, chemistry.

Not only was it impossibly hard and his first period, but in addition to all that, both Danielle and Louis were in that class, and for some reason, he spent nearly the whole lesson twisted in his seat, watching Louis instead of talking to his potential future girlfriend.

Like, shouldn't he be focused on Dani? She was the pretty girl here. She was the one with the big curls, and the great legs, and the pretty face. (Or, okay, Louis had a pretty face too, but that wasn't really that important.)

And not only did he notice how often he stared at Louis, but he also noticed how often _Zayn_ stared at Louis. The other boy was always spun in his seat, and Liam wasn't quite sure how neither of them had gotten called out for not paying attention yet. He almost wished they would be because he _hated_ Zayn staring. Louis was _his_ , and Zayn needed to get out of the picture.

Or that's what it felt like at least. Liam wasn't quite sure what his problem was when it came to Louis.

* * *

"Hey!" Dani's voice broke through his thoughts as Liam stuffed books into this locker. He turned and caught the small girl in his arms as she went in for a hug. He liked how tiny Danielle was. (And he _hated_ himself for thinking it, but Louis was actually really small too, and maybe he would feel the same way…)

"Hi, Dani," he said, squeezing her close a little more than strictly necessary because he was trying to convince himself he liked her. He needed to like her. He was the _quarterback_. She was head cheerleader. They were supposed to be together, everyone thought they were supposed to be together.

Danielle pulled away eventually and righted her cheer costume, something she only really did when she was nervous, and Liam had the weird feeling he was about to be broken up with despite never having gotten together.

"Okay. Okay, right, so, I was wondering… Okay, wait, so I was talking to Harry, and he said you were just nervous, so I figured I would just do the asking, is that okay? Would you say yes if I did the asking?" she asked, and Liam was hopelessly confused.

"Um… yeah? Sure? Probably," he answered, and Danielle beamed, grabbing both of his hands with hers.

"Okay! Good. So would you maybe want to go out with me?" she asked, and it's only then that Liam saw Harry and at least six cheerleaders peaking their heads around the corner at them. The pressure was enormous, and Liam wasn't sure if this was actually something he wants.

"Yeah, totally. Ah, I'm so glad you asked," he answered, and Danielle squealed. Her friends down the hall did too, and Dani rushed in and kissed him straight on the lips before Liam could see it coming and duck out of the way.

It wasn't long before he was surrounded by a bunch of girls and Harry congratulating him, but Liam's head was elsewhere.

Because Louis was just down the hallway, books clutched tightly to his chest with one backpack strap hanging off his shoulder, and for the first time _ever_ , they made eye contact.

And Louis was frowning.

* * *

Things change over at Danielle's house.

Now Danielle _always_ lets him pick the movie, except they never watch it. They're too busy making out. Liam isn't quite sure he likes making out with Danielle. He doesn't know where to put his hands, and it doesn't… it doesn't feel right. Sometimes it feels right if he pictures Louis in her place, but it's scary to think about Louis like that, so he doesn't.

Danielle says 'I love you', and Liam says 'I love you, too'.

But he doesn't.

Liam thinks he might maybe love someone else, and it absolutely terrifies him.

* * *

Now that Liam is with Danielle, he hates Zayn staring at Louis even more. He feels like he's trapped, and while he's stuck, Zayn is encroaching into his territory. And it sucks because he can't really claim Louis as his, and he can't really say anything without giving away everything he's trying to hide, but he is just _so frustrated_ and so scared.

Eventually, it all becomes a bit to much for Liam because he finally recognises the look Zayn has been throwing to the back of the room all this time, and he's pretty sure they've both been staring back there with heart eyes for awhile now, and he just… it's so frustrating. It is so frustrating.

"Hey!" he shouted the second chemistry class ends, grabbing Zayn's wrist and dragging him a bit roughly from the room without a single word of goodbye to Danielle. He pulled Zayn into the boys' bathroom. Weirdly enough, for such a rumoured bad ass, Zayn looked pretty scared. "Why have you been staring at Louis all this time?" he asked, trying to look tough, but he could see himself in the bathroom mirror and he was failing. He had the muscles, but his puppy dog eyes ruined him.

"I'm not staring at Louis," Zayn replied, and Liam kinda wanted to burst because he's _seen him_. Zayn was _always_ facing the wrong way. He was _always_ looking at Louis. And sure, maybe Liam would lie too if someone was interrogating him like this, but he was frustrated so his brain didn't process that maybe Zayn didn't really want to admit to liking Louis, too.

"Are you kidding? I've _seen_ you looking at him. You're _always_ looking at him, and you have to _stop_ ," he demanded, and Zayn gulped.

"No, really, I'm not looking at Louis, I'm looking at-"

Zayn was cut off when the bathroom door opened. Little, tiny Niall walked into the bathroom and Zayn's face went white as a sheet. His eyes trailed over Niall's tiny waist before quickly diverting away, and Liam gets it. "Oh," he said dumbly, and Zayn looked near tears. "Oh, you like-"

"Can we take this conversation elsewhere, please? Or maybe just stop having it because I really… I'm really…" Zayn seemed at a loss for words, and Liam felt really, really _guilty_ for calling Zayn out like this because he didn't deserve it, he just liked Niall, and now he had gone and made him very nearly cry. Liam tried so very hard to be nice and _not_ make people cry, so it was rather upsetting.

"Ah, let's have it elsewhere. You wanna skip next period? Its just History for me, maybe… you look… I don't want you upset," Liam said, worried and hyperaware of Niall being in the room as well, but he probably wasn't near as conscious of it as Zayn was. The other boy bit his lip and nodded. Liam had a feeling that maybe Zayn was just shy and not as standoffish as everyone seemed to think.

"Okay. Okay. Just as long as we can go. Please take me out of here," Zayn begged, and yeah, Liam felt _really_ guilty.

"Okay. Okay, just take it easy," he replied, concerned. He grabbed Zayn's elbow and lead him out of the bathroom, Niall thankfully letting them have their own business and not eying them as they walked out the door. They headed off through the halls in silence for a while -Liam with a vague plan of going to the library- when Zayn piped up.

"So are you staring at Louis, then? Not Niall?" he asked, and Liam blushed a furious shade of red, toes and fingers curling as he tried to keep himself calm. He didn't answer, and Zayn clearly took his silence as a yes. "So why are you with Danielle, then? Do you like her?" he questioned, and Liam ran his fingers through his hair, looking anywhere but at Zayn.

"She's beautiful," he said as means of an answer, and Zayn sniffed and raised both his eyebrows at him.

"Just because she's beautiful doesn't mean that you like her," he replied, and Liam didn't answer again. It was too much for him. He didn't like thinking about it, let alone talking. With someone else. With someone he barely knew. Shit, okay, maybe this had been a really stupid idea. He closed his eyes for a second.

"Maybe we should just head back to class…" he said awkwardly, not sure what to do now that Zayn knew, and he still didn't even know really. Liam wasn't quite sure what he was thinking. Not really, not at all.

"No," Zayn answered, and he looked alarmed by his own voice. "No, no, you don't… you don't understand, I love him so much, and you're the only one who knows, and I just…" Zayn trailed off, and all of a sudden he looked really young, and really scared, and maybe he just needed someone to give him a hug and tell him it'll be okay, so that's what Liam does.

"You're gonna get him, man. It's gonna be fine," he promised, wrapping his arms around the other boys' shoulders for a second before pulling away. They're stopped in the hallway, and maybe here is as good a place as any for a serious conversation. Liam sank to the floor, back against the wall. "I don't… I don't even _know_ Louis, really. I've never talked to him. We made eye contact once and that was… I don't know," Liam said as Zayn sat next to him, and Zayn shook his head.

"But you do know him. Cause… cause you watch him. Maybe that's creepy, but I bet you know all kinds of stuff about him. Like… Like… Like, I don't know. Niall always pulls out a red pen to edit his rough drafts in English while everyone else just uses a pencil. And when he's bored, he scratches the back of his leg with his toes, so his right sock is always curled down. And he likes superheroes, but only the Marvel ones, and I don't know… I listen. And you probably listen too, right?"

Liam bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah… I guess… Louis eats his lunch after school because he gets too busy talking to have it when he's supposed to… And he doesn't like stereotypical things. Like he doesn't use yellow highlighters, always lime green or something. Or purple post-its shaped like hearts instead of those boring squares. And he is a little forgetful, but in a cute way, and he is very protective, and he always lets Niall cheat off his tests during chem, but he's too proud to cheat off of Niall's," he listed, and there's a hundred other things about Louis he could say, and it's a little bit surprising because up until now he thought he had just been watching Louis; he hadn't thought he had been _learning._

Zayn quirked an eyebrow at him. "Yeah?" he asked, and Liam smiled.

"Yeah."

They didn't talk for a minute, both a little wrapped up in their heads and their crushes, until once again, Zayn broke the silence. "Do you think Niall might like me?" he asked, and Liam frowned, unsure of what to say.

"I don't know. I've only talked to him, like, once. I don't even know if he swings that way," he said, and Zayn frowned.

"That's more than me at least," he replied with a shrug, and started playing with his laces, knees tugged close to his chest, and Liam decided he liked Zayn Malik and that maybe they should be friends. Zayn seemed to be mulling something over, and it wasn't long before he asked, "Do you think… Do you think maybe you could talk to him for me? Be my inside man? Just see if he could potentially be interested. I would ask someone else, but…" A blush blossomed through Zayn's tan skin, and Liam realised that, yes, Zayn was definitely just shy. He wasn't near as tough as everyone thought him to be.

"Sure," he answered because Niall was probably the least intimidating person he had ever met, and he figured it might be a good step in getting to know both Louis and Zayn. Zayn beamed at him and hopped up from his spot on the floor.

"Yes! Thank you so much, you won't regret it. I'll… I'll wash your car for a year. I'll make you brownies every day for a month. I'll do whatever you want, thank you so much," he exclaimed, and Liam shook his head.

"No problem. I'd love to see you guys together."

* * *

It was Thursday afternoon, and Liam was at Danielle's house, just like always. She was currently sucking on his face, panting as she kissed him, and Liam could tell from the way her body rolled on top of him that she was getting a bit more into it than usual, but Liam's head was elsewhere.

Elsewhere being Louis Tomlinson, of course.

It dawned on him shortly after his conversation with Zayn that there were a couple gaps in his knowledge of Louis. Like… he knew the easy stuff. He knew he had five sisters -holy shit- and he could skateboard pretty well, but telling Zayn that he didn't know which way Niall swung made him realise that he didn't know which team Louis played for either. Maybe all of this watching, and learning, and crushing was useless. Maybe Louis could _never_ like him that way.

In addition, the words Harry had spoken to him when he first asked about Louis came flooding back to him. " _…he doesn't have very many friends. I don't really remember why. Something's weird about him, I guess."_ Maybe Liam should know what was so weird about Louis before falling head over heels. (Though if he was being honest with himself, it was a little too late.)

"Dani… Dani, wait… Slow down…" he said between her mouth touching his and she didn't seem to really hear him, to immersed in snogging herself senseless. "Dani…" he begged, and she kissed him one more time, breathing through her nose deeply.

"What?" she asked, before reattaching their lips and pressing her body down on top of him a little more. Liam broke away from her a bit, and she moved to start sucking love bites on his neck.

"What do you know about Louis Tomlinson?" he questioned, and the name still felt brand new in his mouth. As much as he thought it, Liam never seemed to really _say_ it. Danielle groaned and sat up, legs straddling his stomach. She arched an eyebrow at him, breathing too heavy to talk for a second.

"Why… are you thinking… of Louis _Tomlinson_ of all people right now?" she asked between breaths, and Liam flushed, tugging at the hemline of Danielle's skirt a bit, trying to ignore how he could see right up it with her legs spread like this.

"Just… Harry said he was weird. I wanna know why he's weird," Liam answered, trying not to seem too interested now that he had gone and interrupted his girlfriend making out with him to ask. Maybe he should have waited for a better time. Dani blew her hair out of her eyes before combing it back off her face with her fingers.

"Because he's a gay fuck, Liam, what else do you wanna know? Stop thinking about him, _I'm_ here," she demanded, and Liam had a feeling that she was more frustrated with how he _kept_ interrupting their relationship with Louis versus him doing it just this once.

"Okay," he replied, emotions split. On the one hand, he was ridiculously excited cause he actually maybe had a chance with Louis, but the way Danielle didn't seem to appreciate his sexuality had him a bit more stressed than he would like to admit. She probably wouldn't do well if he left her. He couldn't leave her. Besides, he didn't _want_ to leave her; he just… It was just a dumb crush.

Danielle reattached their lips together, and Liam put his hands on her waist but it was obvious she was doing most of the work on this one. It wasn't long before she sat up again, groaning. "Touch me, Liam. Stop laying there like a log," she insisted, lowering one hand to her ass and the other hand to her chest. "Don't you want me? I'm doing this all for _you,"_ she snapped, and it was sort of fair for her to be feeling this way. Liam's head was always somewhere else or on someone else when he was with her. It wasn't fair. This wasn't how healthy, happy relationships worked, and she had every right be get getting annoyed with him.

"Of course, I do," he replied, and she grinded her hips on him for a minute, only to be discouraged when it didn't get a rise out of him. She stopped and sighed, looking incredibly awkward and nervous for a second.

"My parents aren't going to be home tonight," she said suddenly, and Liam choked a bit.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. And… and I figured you probably wouldn't have a condom on you, but… but I'm fully stocked if maybe… maybe you wanna…." she trailed off, and Liam bit his lip harder than he thought possible without making it bleed.

"I don't know, Dani, this is kinda sudden, I don't wanna rush into anything, I'm…. I'm… I don't know," he said, and Danielle looked near tears. She collapsed on the couch next to him, tucking herself into his side and burying her face in his shoulder. It wasn't the first time he has seen Danielle cry, but it was the first time he has felt like he was the cause of it.

"We've been _together_ together for like… two months, Liam. That _is_ taking it slow for me. And it's like… it's like you don't even want to. Ever. Do anything with me. _Ever._ It's like you don't even love me," she cried, and guilt twisted in Liam's stomach.

"No, Dani, I love you, I swear, I do. I don't want you to feel that way ever," he replied, and he felt like scum. He just didn't want her crying. Danielle brushed away a tear.

"Then _prove_ it. Please just… just have sex with me, Liam. I'm a pretty girl. I'm skinny, and nice, and I'm smart, so I just… I don't know what more you could want. Just… just have sex with me, Liam, I swear to God," she pleaded. This was so hard. Liam wanted a pretty _boy_. Not a pretty girl. He wanted _Louis._

"Okay," he answered, and he instantly wanted to slap himself for agreeing to something so stupid.

"Okay?" she asked, sitting up straight with a hopeful, surprised look in her eye, and Liam felt like burying himself into the couch somehow and dying.

"Yeah, okay. I… Okay," he answered, and Danielle squealed and pounced on him, back arching more into the kiss than ever before. Liam didn't reciprocate her enthusiasm though. Why had he said yes? Shit, _why had he said yes?_

* * *

" _LIAAAAAAAAAAM!"_ Harry called the second Liam walked into the cafeteria the following day. The wind gets knocked out of him as Harry jumped onto his back with some obnoxious warrior cry. "Look at my man, Liam! The _champion_. Suck on it, Polk High School!" she shouted, whooping and pointing at Liam from his spot perched on his back. Liam laughed a bit awkwardly and set Harry down.

"Okay, that's enough. No need to scream my accomplishments to the entire room," he said, eyes grazing the sea of students for Louis in his usual corner. Fortunately he hadn't made it to lunch yet.

"But, dude, you scored _Danielle Peazer_ last night. Admittedly not _that_ big of a challenge, but none the less impossible for most. What was it like? Was it amazing? People say it's amazing," Harry interrogated, and actually, Harry's not a total pervert, he's just a bit excited. Liam scratched the back of his neck.

"It was okay… I mean… I don't know, she's… I don't know," he answered, and Harry frowned, sitting them down at their usual table and leaning in, suddenly very serious.

"This does not sound like the elation of a man who got into bed with a head cheerleader. What's wrong? Was she all like… stretched out? Does that happen to girls? I've heard people who've done it too much can get all stretched out," he said, increasingly concerned, and Liam's cheeks heated up.

"What? _No_. No, she was fine, I just, like… I don't think she's quite… _my type_ ," he tried to emphasis, but Harry just looked at him blankly.

"I don't get it, she's hot."

Liam groaned. "No, yeah, she is, I just… like… I don't know. I'm kinda a bum guy, and she's all hard from cheering, and I… I don't _mind_ that, but I like people who are a little softer maybe? And I'm more into blue eyes, and I don't know… her curls are pretty or whatever, but I don't like girls with long hair. I don't like girls who… who… I'm not sure." Except Liam _is_ sure. He just straight up doesn't like girls at all. Harry, meanwhile, arched an eyebrow at him.

"So did you not like… Did you… Did you at least get aroused enough to… you know," Harry asked, and Liam regretted choosing a guy as awkward as Harry as a best friend.

" _Yes_ , I was fine, but I had to, um… picture someone else," he answered, and this time when Liam's eyes flickered to Louis's spot, the other boy was there and chatting with Niall, sandwich untouched as usual. Louis was soft. He had a _great_ bum, and gorgeous blue eyes. He had amazing biceps and Louis was just really… he was just who Liam wanted is all. He just wanted him more than anyone, and it sucked to be tied down to Danielle.

"You know, most guys when they picture someone else, it probably _would_ be Dani," Harry said sceptically, and Liam bit his lip, something he felt like he had been doing a lot lately.

"Yeah… Yeah, I know, I just… I don't really know what's wrong with me. Talking about all this has made me a stammering mess, I'm not really sure what's wrong," he said sheepishly with a shrug, but Harry kept looking at him like he knew what Liam wasn't quite sure he wanted him to.

"Right… Right, well, you know you can come to me with anything, right? Like… I guess we're big, football playing, manly men types, but we can still be softies, right? I can still be your buddy. We can still talk about like… emotional things," Harry said, and the words sounded weird coming out of Harry's mouth. Harry wasn't really a loving kinda guy. Or… he was, and he really wasn't manly at all, Liam wasn't quite sure what he was talking about with that bit, but they've never had that huge of a sharing relationship, so it was kind of a weird concept.

"Yeah. I know. I'm good, I just… I don't know what it is with Danielle," he said, squirming in his seat. "I'm gonna go get lunch, yeah? I'm starving."

"Yeah," Harry answered, and Liam could feel his eyes on him as he walked away, and he didn't like it. Harry was suspicious; Liam could tell. And when Harry wa suspicious, it was only a matter of time before he found out the truth.

* * *

It's not until the following week that Liam finds an opportunity to talk to Niall. He hasn't spoken to Zayn aside from "hello" and "I'm fine, how are you?" since their chat in the hallway, but he said he would talk to the blonde new kid, and Liam wasn't the type to go back on his promises.

He had taken Danielle out for frozen yoghurt, and he had just been diving in to his chocolate-with-a-whole-lot-of-shit-on-top when Niall walked through the door. He swallowed and put his hand on Dani's wrist. "Hold on, baby, I'll be right back," he said, pet names becoming easier and easier to let roll off his lips as he continued with this somewhat fake relationship. (He was _trying_ to love Dani; he promised he was.)

Liam was quick to approach Niall.

"Hey!" he said, bumping his shoulder. "I believe I still owe you an ice cream after knocking you down," he told him, and Niall's eyes widened in recognition before laughing a bit more than anyone else might have. He really was a cute, cheery, little thing. Liam could see why Zayn liked him.

"It's okay, I think I have enough," Niall said, reaching for his wallet. He stuck his tongue out a bit as he counted his bills, and Liam could see from where he stood that the poor lad only had two dollars stuffed away. He pulled out his own wallet, and Niall blushed. "Moves to other countries are expensive," he excused himself, and Liam waved him off.

"It's fine, man. You don't need to explain anything to me," he replied, walking with Niall as he filled up his cup with cake batter yoghurt. There was a bit of a break of silence before Liam decided to fill it. "So this might be a little forward, but you wouldn't happen to have an opinion on Zayn Malik would you?" he asked, and Niall fumbled with his cup, yoghurt pouring from the spout and onto his hands.

"Um… um, he's really… he's awesome. He's…" Niall didn't seem to be able to collect himself as he moved to toppings, shaking mountains of sprinkles more on the counter than in his dish. "I might… I might maybe sort of like him. Maybe. Louis says, though, that I shouldn't go around admitting that to anybody," he said awkwardly. "He says it doesn't help make friends."

Liam couldn't say he liked hearing that. "I wouldn't worry about it. It's cool with me and stuff, and I think that would be _very_ cool with Zayn, if you catch my drift," he said, and Niall's eyes brightened considerably.

"I thought he might be more into Louis," Niall answered, ducking his head sheepishly and scratching at the back of his neck. Liam smiled reassuringly.

"No, man. It's all you," he replied, and Niall pressed his lips together, obviously trying not to show how excited he was. The tiny lad took a moment to compose himself before a more nonchalant look took over his face.

"Alright. Well. If it's not too forward of me, you wouldn't happen to have an opinion on Louis, would you?" he asked, just as Liam was taking a bite of his own yoghurt. He choked a bit, struggling to swallow after being caught a bit off guard.

"I'm… I'm with Danielle," he said as means of a response, and Niall frowned.

"Does that mean you do or don't have an opinion. Because, see, I believe Louis has an opinion on _you_ ," he informed, and if Liam was choking before, he was certainly choking now.

"It means I'm stuck in a relationship so I'm not supposed to have one," he struggled to say, voice raw and rubbing at his vocal chords a bit. Niall hummed and nodded, putting his cup on the scale to be weighed and stepping out of the way as Liam paid.

"Okay. Well… well, I might be inclined to tell Louis he has hope then, yeah?"

"Yeah," Liam replied, and Niall nodded again.

"Right. Well…. Well, good seeing you, and," Niall quick pulled him into one of the tightest hugs Liam had ever received, let alone from someone so tiny, "thank you so much, you have no idea how happy you've made me." And with that, Niall left the shop, and Liam went back to find his girlfriend sitting alone at a table. She glared at him around her spoon.

"You like him?" she asked, and Liam felt his eyes widen to the size of saucers.

"What? No. Of course not. Why would you even _ask_ that, he's a _he_ ," Liam replied, and Danielle stabbed at her melting yoghurt, obviously unhappy.

"Well, you stare at him _all the time_. And you just fucking hugged like two nasty ass fags, so what am I supposed to think?" she asked, and Liam softened a bit.

"I love _you_ , sweetie."

"You paid for his yoghurt."

"He was a little short, and I owed him anyway, I knocked him down outside of school awhile ago. Okay?"

"Okay, fine, whatever."

"Okay."

* * *

"So Niall is most definitely into you," Liam tells Zayn during Chemistry the following morning, and Zayn's eyes and mouth turn into O's.

"Wait, what? How do you know? How did you find out? Are you serious? Did you talk to him? Did he say so, or did you just assume so? Are you sure he even likes guys that way? How do you know?" Zayn asked, more alarmed than excited, and Liam laughed.

"Dude, slow down. I talked to him the other day. I asked if he had an opinion on you and he said you're awesome and that he likes you. So I think you're pretty much set," he promised. Zayn's face darkened, and he punched him in the shoulder.

"You _ass_ , what if he _didn't_ have an opinion on me," he said a bit angrily, and Liam put his hands up in surrender.

"You're right. What if. But he _did_. And he _likes you_. So now you two can go… run off and make gaybies, I don't know. I'm not sure how all of this works quite yet. Maybe just ask him on a date or something," Liam shrugged. Zayn looked at him for a minute and then teared up.

"Shit. _Shit_. I'm too nervous for this. He likes me, and I'm never going to be able to do anything about it, and I hate being so fucking shy about everything, and-"

"Zayn!" Niall's voice interrupted as he walked into their conversation, completely ignoring Liam. "I was wondering if maybe you would wanna go out for dinner sometime. Maybe you could dress nice, and I could laugh at all your jokes, and we could fight over the bill, okay?"

Zayn looked to be on the verge of a heart attack. "I… Okay. Yeah. I'll pay, okay? We can just get that argument out of the way. Wouldn't… Wouldn't want it to ruin our date." Niall beamed.

"No, we wouldn't," he answered before finally taking note of Liam. "Hey, Liam. Thanks for everything."

"No problem," Liam assured him as he walked away and then refocused his attention on Zayn. "Look at that! You didn't have to do _any_ of the asking, and you didn't even seem too shy! Keep that up, and you'll be fine!" he promised, and Zayn paled.

"I'm going to die; he's too perfect."

Liam laughed, about to say something else, but their conversation was cut short when Danielle walked into the room, and suddenly the world felt dreary. "Good morning, babe," she greeted him, making a show of kissing him long and hard in front of the whole class, moving his hand down to her ass each time he tried to relocate to a much more PG placement.

"What was that for?" he asked as she pulled away, rather confused. She cupped his face in her hand, placing a sweet kiss on his nose.

"Just proving that you're mine, sweetie," she replied, taking her seat. Liam followed her lead, but not before catching the eye of a very distressed Louis in the back of the room.

" _Sorry_ ," he mouthed, and Louis looked a bit shocked. Liam took his seat before the other boy could respond, hoping he wasn't ruining all of his chances with Danielle stuck on his arm.

* * *

"So I thought you might be interested in hearing this," Harry starts off in the locker room a week later. It's one of their final practices before states the following week (basically the Super Bowl of high school football), and nearly every other player was already out on the field running drills. "I just found out that Louis kid you're interested in is gay," he told him. Liam was careful to keep his face neutral.

"Yeah, I know," he replied, shrugging on shoulder pads while Harry tugged at his laces. The other boy was eyeing him oddly.

"Yeah? Is that why you like him? Or is there more to it than that?" he asked, and Liam got stuck in the practice piny he had to pull on.

"I… Shit. I like him for more reasons than that," he said as Harry got up to help him tug the mesh tank on. They weren't making eye contact, and Liam felt ridiculously uncomfortable. Harry, meanwhile, looked very nearly just as awkward.

"And is there a reason you didn't tell me about this earlier?" he asked, and all of a sudden, Liam's eyes started to get teary. Shit. This was not going well. He blinked his eyes quickly up at the ceiling and scrubbed at his nose.

"Um… Um, I didn't… I wasn't… I'm…" He couldn't seem to get words together, and Harry brushed it off.

"Never mind, man. You're admitting it now. It's cool; don't worry about it. You like who you like. But can I make a suggestion?" Harry asked, and Liam nodded, scouring away tears from his eyes. "Maybe if you _don't_ like someone, you shouldn't string her along for too much longer," he advised, and Liam sniffled a bit.

"I… I was trying to like her. I thought if I just kept going I would like her," he explained, and Harry looked like he understood.

"Okay. It's just… it's just… Well, you obviously don't like her, do you? At least you know that now, right? So maybe it's time for a break up."

"Yeah. Okay," Liam answered, and Harry smiled.

"Good," he said before punching him in the shoulder. "Right. Now stop crying, you're our big, manly ass quarterback. You're tough. Get it together," he demanded, and Liam laughed, smacking on his helmet as he raced his best friend out onto the field.

* * *

It's game day, and Liam is on fire. He _loved_ football, especially because he was one of the main reasons they had made it to states that year. Well… him and Harry, anyways. Liam, as mentioned, was quarterback and if he was on the field, then Harry was most obviously his running back. Timing was necessary when it came to things like this, and with the relationship Liam and his Hazza had it wasn't an issue. They knew each other inside and out -now officially after their talk in the locker room- and were a perfect pair. A touchdown was eminent with the two of them on the field.

Dani came and met him outside in the hall before he finished changing into his uniform. Fortunately, it was a home game. "A kiss for your good luck charm?" she asked, tilting up her cheek, and Liam grinned.

"Of course, baby," he replied, giving her a smooch and letting her smack his bum as he headed off to get changed. The locker room was weirdly quiet. Everyone was more serious than usual, knowing the weight of their next and final game. For some, it was a last chance at a scholarship or their place on a college team. Liam, fortunately, had his ride all set out. Now he was just playing to win.

As the head of the team, it was Liam's job to get everyone pumped up. "Alright, guys, huddle up," he instructed, the team instantly cramming themselves between the lockers, still pulling on bits of sports equipment. Liam himself was still tugging on his cleats. He scratched the back of his neck and took a breath. He had never been good at these speeches. "Okay. Right. Well, boys, we've trained long and hard for this day, and I have full faith in all of your abilities. We've come far over the past year… especially Harry here. How'd'ya do it, Hazza? You've always been shit…"

Harry's face split into a grin, and he laughed with the rest of the team. "You're an idiot, Payne," he bit back and Liam snickered before focusing.

"You're probably right… but in all seriousness, we're gonna cream these guys, it's not even a contest. And you know why? Because we're what team?!" he yelled stupidly, and the boys around him merely mumbled in response.

"Wildcats," they played along pitifully. Their team was the _Cougars_ , not the Wildcats, obviously, but the team had pinched this cheer off years ago, when High School Musical first came out due to how their quarterback at the time had six little sisters and how cougars were a sort of wildcats anyway, and now it was almost like a duty to pass it on. Liam scowled.

"Alright, come on, _what team!?"_ he yelled a bit louder, and this time his fellow players got a bit more into it.

"Wildcats!" a few shouted a bit more eagerly, smiling because as dumb as it was, this was their thing, and their team, and they were going to win this championship game. They had to.

"I can't hear you. _WHAT TEAM?"_ he yelled, and was met with a thunderous reply.

" _WILDCATS!"_ his team screamed with smiles on their faces, and Liam nodded.

"Wild cats!"

" _GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!"_

"Let's win this shit!" Liam yelled back, sending his boys out through the tunnel whooping and hollering, and he had to admit he felt a bit successful. He punched Harry in the arm. "Ready to go?" he asked, and Harry threw on his helmet.

"Always, man," he said, screaming before following the team through the tunnel, and Liam jumped up and down to pump himself up before following.

He looked up at the fans hanging over the edge of the bleachers, giving out high fives blindly, before someone grabbed his hand instead of letting him go. He looked up confused, only to find Louis Tomlinson's fingers wrapped around his wrist. "Good luck!" he shouted above a thousand cheering students and parents, and Liam just nodded before some other players still making their way out from the locker room pushed him forward, and he had to go out onto the field.

Playing without letting Louis in the stands distract him was one of the hardest things Liam had ever gone through in his life.

* * *

When the Cougars win the state championship, no one's particularly surprised, but they _are_ ridiculously elated. And while all the boys on the team were fast to find their girlfriends the second the clock ran out, Liam and Harry rushed to each other.

"That was all you, man," Liam said, laughing and pulling Harry into a dirty, sweaty hug. Harry hit him upside the head on his helmet.

"No, that was you. You did the throwing," he credited, the same words he spoke every time they won a game, and Liam pulled away, shaking his head.

"But you did the running," he responded, just like always, and someone cleared their throat from behind him.

"Eh-hem? Cheerleader girlfriend right here? Standing alone?" Danielle said, shaking her pompoms to get his attention before Liam hooked his arm around her waist, leading her off of the field and to the edge of the bleachers to let her kiss him a bit, taking off his helmet first. "You're such a winner. I knew there was a reason I started dating you," she teased, and Liam let her snog him until someone in the stands kicked his head lightly to catch his attention. He looked up and nearly vomited when he recognised the person above him.

"Hey, Liam. You played great," Louis told him, leaning over the banister. His eyes were alight with something rather intimidating, and Liam pulled his hands away from Danielle, wringing them together close to his chest. "We should talk sometime," Louis said, and Liam gulped.

"Yeah, we should," he replied nervously, and Louis smirked and walked away, leaving a vague uncertainty in his wake. Danielle arched an eyebrow at him.

"What was that about?" she asked, sceptical as always, and Liam shook his head.

"Nothing," he replied. "Nothing… it's… it's fine."

Danielle didn't seem to believe him, but she linked arms with him anyway. "Alright. Well. You just go get showered, and then we'll head off to Eleanor's after party, all right? Maybe have sex in her brother's bedroom?" she asked, and Liam flushed but complied. He always did whatever Danielle wanted, and it was sort of getting old.

He had a feeling that things would be different with Louis.

* * *

Eleanor's after parties were always incredible (providing that your definition of "incredible" included drunken high school students and an obscene amount of public nudity), but due to the end of the season and the Cougar's latest and last victory, things were a little more insane than usual.

Liam hadn't seen Danielle in at least an hour, but somehow he hadn't seen much of anyone. It was like he somehow was at a different school's party; no one looked familiar. Of course, that was probably the alcohol doing its job. Liam had drank everything and anything that came into his hands that night in a last ditch attempt to get his mind off Louis, and his head had never been this fuzzy before. It was like someone had switched out his brain with cotton. Everything took ages for him to process, so he'd basically given up on trying. Which was good. Liam wasn't sure he wanted anything to be processed at the moment.

He was currently sitting on the Calder's couch, sandwiched between two couples with their tongues down each other's throats. He was quite content to be sitting there, colours swimming on the ceiling in front of him, and somewhere in the depths of his brain, he realised he must be a bit high off the second hand smoke filling the room. Liam has never been high, but he's pretty sure this was what it felt like. He was floating.

It was then that Danielle showed up, and Liam smelled her before he recognised her. Actually, he tasted her lips on his before he really pieced together her presence, too. His head was swimming; it just kept on swimming. "El's brother's room is finally free. Let's take it before someone else does," Danielle told him, and Liam was nodding before he fully understood what she was proposing.

By then it was too late. Dani had their hands linked together, and she quickly pulled him from the couch to a bed upstairs with rumpled sheets.

Danielle was fast to close the door behind them.

"Wait, wait, wait," Liam said, already forgetting who he was with and where he was, and it dawned on him how many terrible decisions he had made that night. He wasn't sure if he wanted to add another one to the list.

"No," Danielle answered, falling on top of him and pinning him to musty sheets. "I want you now, Liam. I want you to touch me, I need you to touch me."

Liam could tell by the sound of her voice that she was just about as intoxicated as he was, but he couldn't remember why that was important, and then Danielle was kissing him hard and completely, and Liam lost his grip on the situation.

"Touch me," she demanded when her needs weren't met instantly. Liam did what he always did and slipped his hands beneath the hem of her cheer skirt to rest on her ass. He pictured Louis. It was easy to picture Louis when his hands were here, harder to picture him when they were on Danielle's waist or chest. Louis didn't have curves, but he did have a bum.

Danielle kissed his mouth while Liam built up his fantasy world around them, the lines more blurry than usual with the alcohol and possibly pot running through his system. He made a keening noise as Danielle moved to bite and suck on his neck. Her hand moved to paw at him through his jeans, and Liam couldn't resist a bit of a whine.

"Louis. Oh, God, _Louis_."

It was amazing how fast the situation turned cold.

"Louis?" Danielle asked. She pulled away from him and sat up, still straddling his torso. "Who the fuck is Louis? You… You're… The fucking anal whore in our chem class?"

It was also amazing how fast Liam sobered up.

"Wait, Dani, no, I mean… I mean… shit," he answered, unable to come up with an acceptable explanation. He leaned up on his elbows, only for Danielle to smack him hard in the face. She glared at him, face screwing up in anger, and it wasn't until she turned away and started blinking quickly at the ceiling that Liam noticed the tears brewing in her eyes. "Oh, shit, babe, I'm sorry, I didn't know how to tell you-"

" _Don't_ call me 'babe'," she spat at him, crawling off his body and stomping her feet into the cheer shoes Liam hadn't noticed her taking off. "Fuck you, Liam Payne," she snapped, leaving the room, and Liam scrambled off the bed, chasing after her.

"Dani!" he called her name, weaving through the couples milling about in the hallway and tailing her down the stairs. "C'mon, Dani, please, let's talk about this, don't just walk out on me," he begged, but she didn't act like she heard him, brushing past drinkers and smokers to get out to her car. "Seriously! Danielle, you're my ride-" he was cut off by the sound of her driver's door closing. "Home."

Liam was forced to stand and watch as Danielle drove out of his life.

* * *

"For a guy who just won the state championship, you don't seem very happy," Harry commented during lunch on Monday. Liam was slumped in his seat, trying to avoid the hard gaze of Danielle and just about all of her friends at the next table over. When he didn't respond (he didn't know what to say), Harry sighed. "Look, I'm just gonna be blunt. I heard what happened with you and Dani."

Liam sat up straight, alarmed. "Did she tell you, like… _everything?_ " he asked, biting his lip because he's been dying to know what she'd been telling people to make them all _look at him_ like this.

"Just said that you called the wrong name out when you were… you know… But she didn't say who," Harry promised. "No one knows who. I heard two guys betting serious cash on whether or not you've been into Selena this whole time," Harry said, nodding towards the junior at the far end of the cheer squad's table. Liam groaned, and Harry hummed. "Personally, I'm guessing the name rhymed with shmooey. Skewy. Phooey. Hooey. Lou-"

"Okay, right, yes, Louis. You and I both know it's… it's Louis. It's always been Louis," Liam huffed, scrubbing at his eyes. Harry nodded knowingly, pulling his hands away from his face and taking them in his own.

"It's gonna be okay, man," Harry promised sincerely, but they both know he had no idea how this is going to turn out. Liam willed himself not to have a panic attack or emotional break down, while Harry looked at something over his shoulder. "Also, don't get freaked, but you've got the item of your affections coming in at twelve o'clock."

Liam's whole body stiffened. "Wait, you mean Louis? Here? Now? Right now, seriously, I can't just-"

"Hi," a familiar voice greeted him, and Liam so, so _wanted_ that voice in his life properly, and he _missed_ it over the weekends, and he has _dreamed_ of having a conversation with it's owner, but not now. Liam couldn't talk to Louis now. "I was… I was wondering if we could have that talk now."

"I don't think so," Liam answered, and he doesn't turn to look at Louis, but he can feel him. He was standing incredibly close to him, and it sorta took Liam's breath away, but he just couldn't bee seen talking to Louis right now. Not right in front of Danielle. Not three days after equivocally admitting that he liked him more than her. It doesn't even matter that for the first time ever in Liam's knowing him, Louis sounds nervous. Not now, not now, not now.

"I just thought we should maybe, like… discuss _us_ , you know?" Louis asked, and he sounds a little dejected. This was the first real conversation they've had, but Liam still wanted to sweep the other boy up in his arms and make him feel better. How did Louis manage to make him love him like this? How did this ever happen? Liam can't _handle_ it.

"No, we shouldn't. Please… just… don't talk to me for awhile, I really can't-"

"So were you fucking cheating on me this _whole time_ or have you just already moved on?" Danielle yelled above the noise of the cafeteria, standing up from her seat and pointing her finger at Liam and Louis accusingly. All of the other students instantly quieted down at the sound of her voice like this were a movie and they were reaching the climax. Guilt pooled in the pit of Liam's stomach.

"No, I wasn't… I haven't…" He didn't know what to say, and the helpless look Harry was throwing him proved the other boy didn't know quite what to do either.

"How long have you been taking it up the ass from Louis, Liam? How long have you been a cock sucker?" she interrogated, and suddenly, all eyes were on him.

"Danielle…" he breathed, voice quiet and pleading, but his quite obviously now ex-girlfriend's eyes were filled with nothing but contempt.

"Shut up. Shut. _Up._ Don't _'Danielle'_ me, when you'd rather be feeling up some random shitface than me. _Me,_ Liam. Have you _seen_ me? How gay can you possibly be?"

"Danielle-" he starts again, but she interrupts him.

"Shut up, Liam! _Shut. Up!"_

It's all too much for Liam, and he stood up quick from the table, the eyes of his peers burning into him. He felt Louis place a hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off, jolting out of the room and away from everyone's looks of horror and Danielle's furious glare.

* * *

Oddly enough, it's Zayn that finds him. Liam had buried himself under an old blanket in the backseat of his jeep, and Zayn tapping on the window scared the ever-living shit out of him. He flailed before realising it was just a friend versus an angry mob of Danielle-worshiping homophobes and let out a sigh of relief, sitting up to unlock the back door and scooting over for Zayn to slide in next to him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes -as was their way- before Zayn let out a big breath of air he must have been holding for awhile. "So that… that was like… That was something out of a worst nightmare," Zayn said, and Liam let out a humourless laugh.

"Yeah. Yeah, that… that sucked. I think I literally just went from everybody liking me to everybody hating me in like… three minutes max," Liam replied, pulling his blanket up around his shoulders. "Maybe I should change my name and move to a different school district." Zayn smiled.

"There's only, say… six months left until graduation. Winter Break will act as a good buffer. I think you'll make it," Zayn promised, and silence fell over the two of them again before Zayn conjured up something else to say. "At the very least, I'm pretty sure Louis still likes you," he promised, and Liam snorted.

"I just stupidly trashed his reputation," he argued, and Zayn smirked.

"Louis's reputation was already trashed. I think he's more worried about you right now. He really likes you, you know. Niall and I went out on Saturday, and even though we were having dinner, Louis was still texting him about you," he informed him. "It's funny how some things really could work out so smoothly but fall to shit first anyway."

Liam laughed. "Nothing in my life has ever gone smoothly," he replied, and suddenly, everything that just happened snuck up on him, and Liam found himself crying on Zayn's shoulder in the school parking lot. "'M… 'M… 'M ssso _stupid_ ," he choked out through his tears, and Zayn hugged him.

"No, man, you're not stupid; you were just confused. But you're not anymore. You like Louis. You know you like Louis, and he likes you, and the people who matter like you, and for whoever doesn't, well… you haven't got long left at this shithole, and then you'll be off at college and screwing boys left and right. Or maybe just screwing Louis. And, hey, that's something, right? You're gonna finally get to screw Louis! That's happy, right? Right?" Zayn asked, desperately trying to cheer him up, and Liam pulled himself together.

"Do you wanna ditch class and go get ice cream with me, maybe like… three towns over just so no one sees us?" Liam asked, and Zayn smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

The doorbell rings, and Liam's mom calls for him. "Liam, sweetie, can you get the door? I've got my hands full at the moment!" she shouted across the house, and Liam sunk down under his covers a little more.

"Would you mind, mom? I don't feel good!" he yelled back. It was a lie. Liam felt fine; he just didn't want to answer the door when he didn't know who was on the other side. (Liam had been home "sick" the past few days to avoid school. So far it was working, but he'd probably have to start vomiting through his eyeballs if he wanted to skip another day.)

Liam heard a sigh of acceptance from downstairs and some chatting at the door before he heard someone coming up the stairs. He figured it was his mom coming to check on him, and Liam pulled his covers over his head when there was a knock on the door. "I'm fine, mom. Go back to doing whatever it is you were doing," he tried, but his bedroom door opened anyway. "Mom, I said I'm fine."

"You're not fine," someone said, and Liam almost didn't trust himself, but when he lowered his covers, sure enough, there was Louis Tomlinson standing in his bedroom. "I hope you don't mind me coming over, but I really… I really did want to talk about 'us', even more now because I still… I really like you, you know? I still do. All that… all that shit was just kinda dumb, and it's not like you're suddenly not cute and not funny and not attractive after all of it, and… and I bought you flowers. Daisies. I saw it in _You've Got Mail_ , but mostly the only other bouquet the store had left was yellow roses, and Lottie says that yellow roses are for your dying grandmother in the hospital," Louis prattled off, seemingly nervous. "Lottie is my sister."

A feint smile ghosted across Liam's lips. "I know," he replied. He knew all of Louis's sisters' names by now. "Hi. I'm glad you're here. I really… I really like you, too."

Louis looked really excited for about a millisecond before his face scrunched up with worry. "You wouldn't be embarrassed to be with me? You seem embarrassed," he said, looking a bit pale, and Liam flushed.

"I am embarrassed, but not by you. I… I think earlier I would have been, which is why, like… Danielle. Everything with Danielle. But I like you, and you're…. I've always thought you were perfect," he said, and suddenly this all felt really, really stupid, except the way Louis was looking at him was certainly not stupid at all, and Liam pulled his covers over his head again like a spaz. "God, I just really, really like you, okay? Like a lot."

Louis let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, phew, because I certainly feel the same way about you," Louis promised, and Liam stopped being shy and dumb enough to pull his head out from under his comforter. "Does this mean… Can we like… I thought we could do what Niall did, yeah? Maybe you and I could go out for dinner and just… try," he offered, and Liam perked up a bit.

"Yeah, okay. Just you and me?"

"And your sexual appetite," Louis said with a smirk before shaking his head violently. "Wait, no, actually, that was such a shitty thing to say, forget that happened. I'm sorry. I'm really stupid."

"So am I. It's okay," he assured him, and flinched back in surprise when Louis thrust about twenty daisies into his face. "Ah, okay, thank you," he said, and Louis was backing out of the room already.

"My number's on the card, okay? I'm... I'm gonna go. Text me. And… and feel better soon."

"I will!" Liam called after him, but the other boy was already ducking out of sight. It was weird. Despite the vast display of awkwardness that had just occurred, Liam had the overwhelming feeling that he was finally making the _right_ decision. He searched through the petals of the bouquet and found the signed card from Louis amongst them.

_Please, please don't crush my dreams and leave me hanging._

_484-354-2788_

_Love,_

_Louis_

Liam made the right decision on the 76th day of his senior year. He gave Louis Tomlinson a call.


End file.
